WEE WomenCurrently, I am the community organizer for Women Encouraging Empowerment, the only nonprofit in my hometown. Here, I am able to work with girls and women who come from all over the world who need help establishing themselves in a new country or need a little extra encouragement to feel welcome in a "gateway" city where the majority of the people in power do not care about the future or well being of the immigrant residents. I feel very proud of my work and the fact that I found my position by doing my Pine Manor internship with Jobs with Justice.
As I celebrate my first milestone year of organizing in Revere, I have been given the privilege to help teach our Level 1 English Class. It has been extremely rewarding to socialize in a different way, more as a teacher, where I'm able to connect with immigrant women on a deeper level than just providing services or filling out paperwork they aren't capable of understanding. In class, we are able to share each other's languages, laugh and have a feeling of belonging in this community. I see my students as a reflection of myself; even though we speak different languages and come from different backgrounds, we share the same experience of coming to this country for a better life. Teaching immigrant women a language that to this day, I have yet to master even though I grew up in the USA, has humbled me. It has also put into perspective that we immigrants have all lost a sense of home. We have all struggled to fit in, and we are all trying our best to remain true to ourselves and not lose the essence of what makes us who we are. I see this every Monday and Wednesday when we share our different foods with each other during break, when we belly dance whenever my lessons get too boring and frustrating, or when we simply just share pictures of the ones we love from back home. I’ve been told by one of my students that if I ever visit Morocco, I would have a home and a warm plate waiting for me. Teaching has been healing and something I look forward to every week. I'm glad that I can help the women in my community find a path to assimilation without erasing their language and ethnicities. RISE & THE "NEW COMERS"Organizing in Revere has helped me realize that I'm not all that different from the residents I'm trying to empower. I'm also unaware and trying my best to learn the system. For example, It wasn’t until I started doing translation work for the Revere Housing Authority that I learned that anyone regardless of status could qualify for state housing. Now, I'm helping single immigrant moms who need assistance and are unaware the option exists find housing by helping fill out the forms for them.
As I continue learning what being undocumented means and all the limitations that came with it, I'm shock to realize how other undocumented residents struggle and deal with their realities. I reach out and try to be as supportive as possible. It is difficult though, because the kind of information we need to prosper and remain safe until some sort of immigration reform is passed isn’t something one can easily find or share with the public. However, thanks to the work I do with WEE, I’m slowly gaining the trust of a small group of people who are associating more with our nonprofit. I've helped these members create portfolios of proof that they are active in the community. Since I myself have a long waiting period before I find out whether I am allowed to stay in the country or not, I have made it my effort to work and help others who are in the same situation that I’m in. I know I’ve made a difference in a handful of people's lives already, and having the feeling of knowing I can help make small changes is what keeps me pushing on. Doing this type of work does not feel like an obligation but my right to continue to to do as much as I can to help the members of my community learn the system. I’ve shared my personal experiences with them to show them that they can also learn how to work around things and continue to prosper with or without documentation. Luckily, I'm not alone on this fight. I have the support from amazing youth who are passionate and even more aware than me when I was in high school. Revere Immigrants Support for Education, or RISE, is a school club from Revere High School that informs the community about immigrant rights and opportunities. They are invested in improving our community through relationship building, leadership development, and both strategic and motivational campaigns. My time spent with RISE has mainly been to help guide and advise them with their ideas. It is interesting and at times worrisome just how knowledgeable they are of how systemically oppressive our society is. I see their passion and how, despite the chaos of being young and thinking of a million different things at once, they all truly care about the club and want to do their best to see it prosper. What I want for these youth is what I would have wanted for myself: more direction and guidance. I needed it most at a time when my life was difficult and I had a hard time both asking for and finding help. All the effort they are making as a group is surely going to continue the trend and give traction to the message that we are and have been trying to spread for years: Revere needs to be an inclusive community. |
Flyer for ESL Lessons
With my ESL students
Protesting in Revere for better Parent - School relationships
Retreats with the youth
Canvassing in Revere to raise money for a scholarship for Revere High undocumented students with RISE
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